Columns

Gentle reader: The old curmudgeon is back after his usual holiday hiatus.

Today he wishes to discuss a couple or so matters that have come up recently. The first is the United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning Israel’s continued appropriation of the land heretofore considered to belong to the Palestinians, and constructing thereon housing and other buildings strictly for the use and benefit of the Jewish Israelis, and depriving the Palestinians, whatever their faith, of the use and benefit thereof.

Watching the reports of the fires in Gatlinburg earlier this week reminded me of a devastating wildfire I witnessed 25 years ago.

Wildfires were not uncommon in California when I lived there in the 1980s and 1990s. It is a big state and the fires always seemed to be happening someplace else. It never really occurred to me that such devastation could ever touch my life.

Thanksgiving provides us an opportunity to give thanks for what we have.

All around Roane County during the past few weeks, I saw great examples of people and organizations giving thanks and helping others.

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror it’s now time to look toward the Christmas holidays. A lot of events are planned to celebrate the winter holidays, including the Christmas parades in Kingston, Harriman Rockwood and Oliver Springs.

Thanksgiving provides us an opportunity to give thanks for what we have.

All around Roane County during the past few weeks, I saw great examples of people and organizations giving thanks and helping others.

With Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror it’s now time to look toward the Christmas holidays. A lot of events are planned to celebrate the winter holidays, including the Christmas parades in Kingston, Harriman Rockwood and Oliver Springs.

Since the November election, mixed signals and contradictory messages from our president-elect have bewildered Americans of almost every political persuasion.

For a few more weeks, we should all take a deep breath and recall that the lame-duck period between election and inauguration days is a longstanding feature of our uniquely American system of government that has often roused anxieties.

Gentle reader, the quadrennial presidential election is finally over, and barring some catastrophe, Donald J. Trump will take the oath, and enter upon the office of our president come 20 January, 2017.